British beloved cinematographer Guy Green died at age of 91

Green, who also directed more than two dozen films, lapsed into a coma about 10 hours before his death Thursday, his wife of 57 years, Josephine Green, told The Associated Press.

"He was a gentleman in every sense of the word," his wife said. "There's not many around anymore. He was a man of integrity. Complete integrity. I've never known him otherwise."

Green, who began his film career in his native England, was a founding member of the British Society of Cinematographers. In 2004, he was named an officer of the Order of the British Empire for his lifetime of work in the British cinema.

He was the cinematographer on nearly two dozen films before switching to directing in the mid-1950s. He moved to Hollywood in the 1960s.

Two of his best known directing efforts were the British films "Sea of Sand" (1958) and "The Angry Silence" (1960), both of which starred Richard Attenborough.

"Guy was a leading figure in cinema both in the U.K. and in the United States for over 40 years," Attenborough said in a statement Thursday. "I had the most profound respect for his remarkable talent.

"He was a great friend and will be sorely missed on both sides of the Atlantic."

Green was nominated for Golden Globes for writing and directing the 1965 film "A Patch of Blue," which starred Sidney Poitier as a black professional man who befriends a blind, white woman. Shelly Winters won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the girl's mother.

Green was proudest of "A Patch of Blue" because he not only directed but also wrote and co-produced the film, his wife said.

He also directed the 1962 film "Light in the Piazza," starring Olivia de Havilland. A Broadway musical based on the same novella that served as the basis for the film won five Tony awards earlier this year.

His other directing credits included "Pretty Polly" (1967), "Diamond Head" (1963), "The Mark" (1961) and "Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Note Enough" (1975).

He also directed a number of television films in the 1970s and '80s, including "Strong Medicine" in 1986.